Ball-cock valve.



E. G, WATROUS.

BALL 000K VALVE.

urLIoA'rIoN Hmm APB. 15, 1901.

Patented ont. 20, 1908.

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E. G. WATROUS. BALL COCK VALVE.

v APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1901. 901,571. Patented oct. 2o, 190s. 2SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED sTATEs' PATENT oEEIcE.

EARL G. WATROUS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BALL-COCK VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.l

Application filed April 15, 1901. Serial No. 55,938. l -jt i tion,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

My invention has for its object the simplification of construction,lessening of cost and increase of efficiency of ball cock valvescommonly used in the flushing tanks of water closets; and its noveltywill be hereinafter set forth and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a sectional view of a part of aflushing tank equipped with my improved valve; Fig. 2 a vertical sectionof the valve in closed position; Fig. 3 a corresponding view with thevalve in open position; Fig. 4 a horizontal section through the cap orhead of the valve casing; Fig. 5 a section detail on the line 5 5 ofFig. 4.- Fig. 6 a vertical section ofthe valve with the ball supportingarm swung to position to release the valve stem, and with the couplingremoved from the lower end of the valve casing to permit the removal ofthe valve; Fig. 7 a cross section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 2; Fig. 8 aperspective view of the valve itself, removed from the casing; Fig. 9 avertical section of a modified form of the valve employing a removablemetal valve seat; Fig. 10 a perspective view of such removable seat;Fig. 11 a perspective view of my improved valve modified to adapt it tobe secured to the upper edge of the flushing tank; and Fig. 12 avertical section of the valve shown in Fig. 9.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts inthe several views.

The valve casingshown in Figs. 1 to'9 consists of a tubular body Aprovided at itsupper end with an integral horizontal cap or hood B todirect the water laterally into the tank and incidentally to form abearing for one end of the valve-operating rod C to whose opposite freeend is secured the usual ball or lioat D. The tubular body of the valvecasing is adapted to be `passed downward through a circular hole in thebottom of the liushing tank E, and is provided at its upper end with acircular flange F adapted to rest upon'said bottom. The body of thevalve casing A is exteriorly threaded for a considerable portion of itslength, and a nut G mounted upon this threaded portion and screwed uptightly against the under surface of the bottom of the tank E clampsthe` flange F against the upper surface thereof and serves to firmlysecure the valve casing in position.

Longitudinally disposed in the valve casing A is the valve stem Hcarrying the valve I at its lower end, and at its upper end eX- tendinginto the cap or hood B and rovided with a hook or recess a to engage t ecrank of the valve operating rod C, as shown. The valve end of this rodis bent at right angles to the body of the rod and passes throughapertures formed for it in the opposite sides o the cap or hood B, Fig.4. he middle portion of this angular bent end of the rod C, within thehood B, is bent to form a crank C which is connected with the upper endof the valve stem H bythe hook a of the latter. When the outer end ofthe rod O is elevated the crank will force the valve stem downward, asin Fig. 2, and when the outer end of the rod is allowed to fall thecrank will lift the valve stein, as in Fig. 3. The valve is in thepresent instance of the shape shown in Fig. 8, and provided, near its up)er and adapted to iit and travel in corresponding guide Ways c formedupon the interior of the tubular valve casing A near the upper andVlower ends of thelatter, Fig. 7. The cup shaped valve I, Fig. 2, isformed upon the lower end of the stem H, and when the latter' is forceddownward seats itself against a rubber seat J upon the upper end of thepipe connection or tail iece K which is secured to the lower end oftllie valve casing A by means of the coupling nut L.

As will be understood from the foregoing description, when the ball orfloat D is permitted to drop, by the descent of the water in the tank atthe flushing of the closet, it will lift the valve I from its seat andpermit the water from the sup ly pipe connected to the lower end of theva ve casing to pass u ward through the valve casing into the tank, andas the water rises in the tank and lifts the float the valve will beforced downward tru its seat again and the supply of water cut oY Topermit the insertion of the bent end of the rod O and its crank C intothe cap or hood of the valve casing, in assembling the '85 lower ends,with side iianges or gui e ribs b i parts, and its withdrawal in takinthem apart, the inner surface of one `of tie side walls of said cap iscut awa or cored out immediately beneath the ho e through which the endof the rod C is inserted, as shown at d in Fig. 5. With this provision,when the rod C is swung to vertical position the space d will permit thebent end of the rod and its crank to be withdrawn from the cap Bsufficiently to disengage the free end of the crank from its bearing inthe opposite side wall of the cap, whereupon the rod C may be entirelywithdrawn and disconnected from the cap.

For the purpose of locking the crank end of the rod C in its bearing inthe cap B and preventing its accidental displacement while in operativeposition, l provide upon the inner surfaces of the opposite side wallsof the cap B, immediately in rear of the apertures in which the crank Chas its bearings, two locking lugs e, e', Fig. 5, whose forward surfacesare lcurved to flt the rear side of the crank C, Fig. 4, and whilepermitting it ,to turn freely in its bearings, serveto lock it fromlateral displacement unless the rod is swung upward to or beyondvertical position and the crank thereby swun downward and forward out ofthe vertical p ane of the lugs, whereupon it is free to be withdrawnfrom the cap as before explained.

As will be understood from the foregoing, as long as the rod C remainsanywhere within the range of itsoperative position, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, itis securely locked in its bearings in the valve casing and cannot becomeaccidentally displaced therefrom; while by swinging it upward beyond therange of its operative position it may be readily removed.

Only one lug, at the side of the casing at which the crank of the rod isinserted, is essential for the locking operation above described, but lprefer to employ the two lugs, e and e, upon the opposite sides of thecasing, as described.

The valve is simple in construction and composed of few parts, andconsequently may be cheaply made. The valve casing proper is a simpletubular casting, exteriorly threaded, and constitutes practicallynothing more than the mere shank ofthe usual ball cock valves, employedfor securing them in the bottom of the tank. The valve stem and valveare likewise a single simple casting, while the operating rod C iscomposed of a single iece of heavy wire having the float secure to itsfree end, and at its opposite end directly connected to the valve stem,with no intermediate parts. The length of the operating rod C relativelyto the crank C affords a powerful leverage for forcing the valveldownward against its seat when the free end of the rod is elevated bythe rising of the water in the tank, and

therefore .insures the prompt and firm seating of the valve against highwater pressures. The parts may be readily assembled, and be readilytaken apart even without removing the valve casing from the tank. Thusif it be desired to gain access to the interior of the valve casing, toreplace a'worn valve seat or put in anew valve, it is only necessary tounscrew the nut L and swing the pipe connection K to one side, whereuponthe valve seat may be readily removed and replaced with a new one, whileif the valve itself is to be removed it is simply necessary to swing theoperating rod C over to the position indicated in Fig. 6, whereupon thecrank C will be disengaged from the valve stem and the latter left freeto be withdrawn from the casing. Upon inserting a new valve to theposition shown in Fig. 6 and swinging the rod C back to operativeposition its crank C will engage the upper end of `the new valve stem,as in Fig. 2, and it will then be simply necessary to swing the pi evconnection K back into line with the va ve casing and recouple theparts with the nut L.

For the foregoing and other reasons :my improved valve is superior toany valve Vof this character with which l am acquainted, in simplicity,in economy in construction, in efficiency, and in facility forassemblage and repairs.

ln Figs. 9 and 10 l have illustrated a modified form of my valve inwhich the valve upon the lower end of the stem H consists of a rubber orother flexible disk l adapted to seat against a removable seat M ofmetal or other hard material which fits within the lower end of thecasing A and rests against an annular shoulder formed therein to refceive it. A rubber gasket N is interposed between the under side of thisremovable seat and the lupper end of the taihpiece K within the couplingnut L, and the seat M is held in position when the nut is tightened up.The removable seat (Fig. 10) consists yof a circular ydisk; with acentral aperture sur rounded, on both sides of the disk, by a cirfAcular rib or bead, ct, which is adapted to re ceive the rubber valveupon the lower end of the valve stem when the latter isy forced downwardto its seat. The rubber valve upon the lower end of the valve stem maybe readily removed when it becomes worn and replaced with another, andthe metal disk may be reversed when the raised seat yupon one side of itvbecomes worn, and removed and replaced with a new one when both sidesbecome worn.

In Figs. ll and l2 I have shown my improved valve suitably modified toadapt it for use as a top supply valve, secured to the upper edge of theflushing tank, instead of being secured in the bottom of the tank as inthe main views.- To this -end `the casing of yvalve seat an the valve isprovided with a projecting supporting arm or plate O adapted to iit uponthe upper edge of one wall of the tank and be secured thereto withscrews. The valve stem and valve in this construction are inverted, Fig.12, the valve closing against its seat by an upward movement instead` ofa downward one. The o erating rod C and its crank C are substantia lythe same as in the main views, excepting that the crank in the angularbent end of the rod is bent toward the free end of the rod, instead ofin the opposite direction as in the main views, in order that thelifting of the free end of the rod will serve to lift the valve andforce it against its seat. Aremovable metal seat, similar to that shownin Figs. 9 and 10, fits within the upper end of the tubular casing andrests upon an annular shoulder formed therein to receive it, and the endof the casing is exteriorly threaded to receive a coupling nuty P bywhich an angular pipe connection or tailpiece Q is coupled to thecasing, a tight joint etween the u per surface of the removable cl) theflanged lower end of the nozzle Q, within the coupling nut, beingsecured by a rubber gasket R. Secured in the lower end of the valvecasing A is an extension A', commonly called the hush-pipe, whichextends downward nearly to the bottom of the tank and delivers the waterat that point.

It will of course be understood that the metal valve and rubber seat ofFigs. 1 to may be employed in the valve of Figs. 11 and 12, if desired,instead of the rubber valve and metal seat of Figs. 9 and l0.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim:

l. In a ball-cock valve, the combination, with the valve casing andvalve, of a valveoperating rod formed at one end intoa crank havingbearings in opposite sides of the valve casing and co erating withthevalve said crank end of t e rod being arranged to be inserted throughsaid bearings; substantially as described.

2. In a ball-cock valve, the combination, with the valve casing andvalve, of a valve operating rod formed at one end into a crank havingbearings in opposite sides of the valve casing and co erating with thevalve, said crank end of tlie rod being arranged to be inserted throughsaid bearings and withdrawable -from engagement with the valve only whenthe rod isswung to an inoperative position; substantially as described.

3. In a ball-cock valve, the combination,

with the valve casing and valve, of a valve operating rod formed at oneend into a crank having bearings in the valve casing and cooperatingwith the valve, and locking means operating to revent accidentaldisplacement of the crank iiom its bearings while the rod is inoperativeposition and to permit its withdrawal therefrom when the rod is swungout of operat ve position; substantially as described.

4. In a ball-cock valve, the combination oi a tubular valve casing, alongitudinally moving valve stem and valve therein, a valve-operatingrod formed at one end and intermediate its length into a crankdetachably connected with the valve stem and having bearings in thevalve casing on either side of the crank, said crank end of the rodbeing insertible through said bearings, and means for loclL'ng the valvestem and crank together except when the rod is swung to an inoperativeposition; substantially as described.

5. In a ball-cock valve, the combination of the tubular valve casing,the longitudinally movable valve stem and valve therein, the valve-oerating rod formed at one end into a cran having bearings in the valvecasing and cooperating with the valve stem, and locking means preventingaccidental displacement of the crank while the rod is in operativeposition but permitting the withdrawal of the crank when the rod isswung out of o erative position; substantially as describec 6. In aball-cock valve, the combination of the tubular valve casing, thelongitudinally moving valve stem and valve therein, the valve o eratingrod formed at one end into a cranklliaving bearings in the valve casingand cooperating with the valve with which it is detachably connected,and a locking lug upon the wall of the valve casing cooperating withsaidl crank portion of the operating rod to prevent displacement of itonly while the operating rod is in operative position; substantially asdescribed.

7. In a ball-cock valve, the combination of the tubular valve casingprovided at its upper end with a flange adapted to seat against thebottom of the tank and a cap or hood forming a lateral discharge outletfor the casing, the longitudinally moving valve stem within the valvecasing, carrying the valve at its lower end, and the valve-operating rodformed at one end into a crank having bearings in the cap or hood of thecasing and cooperating with the upper' end of the valve stem;substantially as described.

8. In a ball cock valve, the combination of the tubular valve casingprovided at its upper end with a flange adapted to seat against thebottom of the tank and a cap or hood forming a lateral discharge outletfor the casing, the longitudinally moving valve stein within the valvecasing, carrying the valve at its lower end, the valve-operating rodformed at one end into a crank having bearings in the cap or hood of thecasing and cooperating with the upper end of the valve stem, and alocking lug upon the side wall of said cap or hood cooperating with thecrank to prevent displacement of the latter while the operating rod isin operative position substantially as described.

9. ln a ball-cock valve, the combination of the tubular casing Aprovided with the internal longitudinal guide ways, the longitudinallymoving valve stem H guided 'in said Ways within the casing and carryinga valve at one end, and the operating rod C provided intermediate itslength vwith the crank C having its bearings in the valve casing andengaging a recess in the end of the valve stem opposite the valve, foroperating the latter said crank being detachable from the valve stemonly in the inoperative position of such rod; substantially asdescribed.

10. In a ball cock valve the combination of the tubular casing A havingthe exteriorly threaded lower end and provided at its upper end with theflange F and cap or hood B, the valve stem H located within the tubularcasing A and guided longitudinally in ways formed therein and carryingthe valve at its lower end and projecting at its upper end into the capor hood B, the nut G screwed upon the threaded body of the valve casingand adapted to cooperate with the flange F to secure the casing inposition, and the operating rod C provided with the crank C having itslbearings in the cap or hood B of the casing and engaging a recess in theu per end of the valve stem to operate the valve; substantially asdescribed.

11. ln a ball cock valve, the combination ofthe tubular casing A havingthe exteriorly threaded body portion and provided at its upper end withthe ilange F and cap or hood B, the nut screwed upon the threaded bodyof the valve and adapted to coperate with the flange F to hold thecasing in position, the valve stem H guided longitudinally within thecasing A and carrying the valve l at its lower end and projecting at itsupper end into the cap or hood B, the pipe section K secured to thelower end of the casing A by the coupling nut L screwed upon thethreaded end of said casing, the valve seat within said coupling nut coerating with the valve l and the operating ror C carrying the ball orfloat at its free end and formed at its opposite end into a crank havingits bearings in the cap or hood B and engaging a recess in the upper endof the valve stem to operate the valve; substantially as described.

12. ln a ball cock valve, the combination of the valve stem H carryingthe valve l at one end and provided at its opposite end with a recessopenat one side only, an operating rod C carrying a float at one end andjformed at its other end into a crank which engages said recess in thevalve stem, said casing having in its opposite sides bearings for saidcrank, and means for preventing the disengagement of the rod and valvestem except when such rod is swung to an inoperative position,substantially as described.

13. In a ball-cock valve, the combination of a valve casing, a valvetherein, an operating rod adapted to carry the ball or lloat at one endand having its opposite or inner end bent at right angles to its bodyportion, said inner end of the rod bearing in opposite sides of thecasing andiormed into a crank adapted to operate the valve,substantially as described.

14. The combination with the valve casing having the bearing aperturesin its opposite side walls and the recess d adjacent one lof saidapertures, of the operating rod C provided at one end with the crank Chaving its bearings in said apertures and the insertion and withdrawalthereof being permitted by said recess d; substantially as described.

15. The combination., with the valve casing provided with the oppositebearing apertures and the recess d and locking lug e adjacent to one ofsaid apertures, of the operating rod C provided at one end with thecrank C having its bearings in said apertures and locked in operativeposition therein by the lug c and permitted to be Withdrawn, when swungout of operative position, by the recess d; substantially as described.

16. ln a ball cock valve, the combination, with a tank, of a valvecasing in constant communication therewith and connected to a source ofsupply, a valve in said casing, and a valve-operating rod connected atits outer end to the ball or float and Aformed at its other end into acrank having bearings in the valve casing and cooperating with thevalve, substantially as described. 1

1 7. ln' a ball cock valve, the combination with the valve casing, of avalve arranged therein and having a stem formed at its free end into ahook, a valve-operating rod formed at one end into a crank and bearingin opposite sides or walls of the casing, said crank engaging said hookol" the valve stem, and means Jier maintaining such engagement of thevalve stem and crank during the range of operative movements of the rod,but permitting disengagement when the rod is swung to inoperativeposition, substantially 11 5 as described.

18. In a ball cock valve, the combination of a tubular valve casingprovided at one end with a cap or hood forming a lateral dischargeoutlet, the longitudinally moving

